Winter Storm
by Settiai
Summary: The snowfall had only gotten thicker as they backtracked. :: Five/Nyssa


Nyssa shivered, pulling her coat more tightly around her as a gust of icy wind blew past. Snow flew around her and obscured her vision as she stumbled forward. Her gloveless hands felt like ice, even though she had them buried deeply in her pockets. Not for the first time since the unexpected winter storm had caught them by surprise, she wished the Doctor could have predicted just how quickly the weather could change.

It had been sunny when the TARDIS had arrived on the planet several hours earlier, a bit cool but not uncomfortably so. They had made it a good two hours' walk from the TARDIS, on their way to see some beautiful caves that the Doctor had been chatting excitably about the entire time, before finally noticing that the sky was much darker than it had been when they arrived. By the time it seemed like it might be a good idea to turn around, large white snowflakes had been falling from the sky.

The snowfall had only gotten thicker as they backtracked. While it had started lightly, with only a few flakes falling, it had quickly reached the point that they could barely even see what was in front of them.

Without warning, Nyssa lost her footing. The only thing that kept her from falling was a tight grip on her shoulder that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Fingers dug into her skin so hard that she flinched, but she didn't hit the show-covered ground.

"Thank you, Doctor," she gasped out. She smiled tired as she turned around to face him.

He shot her a tight smile, worry evident on his face. "We should be back in the TARDIS soon," he promised reassuringly. "She's around here somewhere."

Nyssa laughed soft as she kept walking, well aware that the Doctor hadn't moved his hand. "So you keep saying."

The Doctor shook his head, not saying a word as he kept walking. Then, with a startled cry, he went sprawling to the ground. Nyssa let out a surprised shriek herself as his grip on her shoulder pulled her down as well.

She gasped as she hit the freezing ground. Her breath was pushed out of her lungs for a second, and her shivers increased almost instantly as she lay sprawled out in the snow.

"Nyssa!"

The Doctor stood up, grabbing her arm and roughly pulling her to her feet as he did so. His winter clothing, which had been even lighter than hers in the first place, was white with caked snow. Unlike her, however, he didn't even look a little cold.

"What happened?" she asked, her question barely audible through her chattering teeth.

He gestured down to his feet, and as she looked she saw a small tree stump all but buried in the snow. It was obvious that he had tripped over it. And, now that she was looking, she couldn't help but notice the sheepish look on his face.

Nyssa couldn't help it. She laughed.

The Doctor shot her a startled look, and he quickly started pulling her forward again. He kept his gaze focused on where he was walking this time, though he glanced her way every now and then.

After a moment or two, Nyssa's laughter faded away. She was shivering so badly that it felt as if her energy was being drained away with every breath she took.

Supporting her even more than before, the Doctor firmly wrapped her arm around her. "We're almost there." 

Nyssa didn't answer, instead merely focusing on putting on foot in front of the other. For some reason, it was hard to concentrate even on that simple movement.

The world seemed to fade away, so that there was nothing but the blurry white snow falling directly in front of her and the Doctor's arm wrapped securely around her shoulders. She was vaguely aware of the Doctor speaking to her, urging her forward, but it felt as if it was a dream.

Then, suddenly, the TARDIS was right in front of them.

Nyssa blinked in surprise. She started to turn toward the Doctor to ask him when they had found the ship, but her vision blurred. The world tilted dangerously, and she heard the Doctor say her name. She could barely understand it, though, as his voice sounded as if it was coming from far away.

And then there was nothing.

Nyssa woke up gradually. Her eyes felt heavy, but all she could focus on was the warmth that surrounded her. She couldn't help but think that she'd be happy never moving again, if it meant she could stay just like she was right then.

"Nyssa?"

She quickly recognized the Doctor's voice. Furrowing her brow, she heard the paradoxical combination of worry and relief in his voice. With some effort, she managed to get her eyes opened. She immediately recognized the ceiling above her as that of the TARDIS infirmary, and she smiled weakly as she glanced to her left. As expected, the Doctor was sitting in a chair by her side.

His eyes lit up when he saw her looking at him, and his mouth split into a boyish grin. "You're awake," he said, reaching out to gently brush a few strands of hair out of her face.

"You were worried?" Nyssa asked. She didn't try to hide her surprise as she slowly and carefully propped herself up on one arm. "Was it that serious?"

The Doctor quickly pushed himself to his feet. "No, it wasn't," he hurried assured her. "You should be fine, after a good night's rest."

She stared at him for a moment, uncertain whether or not to believe him. Then she slowly nodded and sank back down onto the sheets. "Rest does sound good."

"Perfect!" The Doctor clapped his hands together. "You get some sleep, and I'll find us somewhere warm to visit."

Nyssa couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow. "Didn't you say the planet we just visited was going to be war. . ."

"I'll make certain that we don't land in the middle of winter again," he said, cutting in.

She laughed, breaking off after a second with a large yawn.

The Doctor reached out to brush a few hairs out of her face again. "Get some sleep," he said firmly. "Doctor's orders."

"Of course, Doctor." Nyssa hesitated for a second. "Doctor?"

He glanced down at her. "Yes?"

She bit her lip, not meeting his gaze. "Could you possibly stay?" she asked slowly. "Just until I fall asleep?"

Laughing softly, he leaned down and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "Of course," he replied. "I'll stay as long as you need."

Nyssa smiled and finally let her eyes close.


End file.
